Rugby union in Uruguay
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
is considered one of the most popular sports in Uruguay
. The national team
, commonly known as Los Teros, have been playing international rugby since the late 1940s and have made appearances in two world cups
- once in 1999
and again in 2003
.
is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay. The organisation was founded in 1951 and became an official affiliate of the International Rugby Board
(IRB) in 1989. It is also a member of CONSUR.
claim that they were the first to play the game in the country. However, the growth of rugby in Uruguay can be attributed largely to the schools of the Christian Brothers
which introduced the game from Ireland
in the early twentieth century. Their schools tended to play rugby union, whereas those of the Jesuits played soccer.
Rugby was being played in neighbouring Argentina and Brazil in the late nineteenth century, mainly by British immigrants, and there is some evidence of this within Uruguay itself. English cricket
clubs were the incubators of rugby in South America, although rugby has survived much better in these countries than cricket has. It has been claimed that Montevideo Cricket Club
(MVCC) played rugby football
as early as 1865, but the first certain match was between Uruguayans and British members of the MVCC in 1880. The MVCC claims to be the oldest rugby club outside Europe. One observer, apparently disdainful of the Britons mixing with the "natives", found the 1880 match to be:
in the 1920s.
Uruguay's rugby union international debut came in 1948, where they played a friendly match against Chile
, which they eventually lost 21-3.
In 1949, "rugby criollo" was introduced into the Carrasco Polo Club
, which not unlike the MVCC, would become more renowned for rugby than the sport it was named for.
In 1950, the Club Championship
was inaugurated and continues today. Its success led to the formation of the sports new governing body, the Uruguayan Rugby Union (Unión de Rugby del Uruguay), in January 1951, with Carlos Cat as its first president. The first Club Championship was contested by Old Boys, Colonia Rugby, and multisport clubs such as Montevideo Cricket Club
(MVCC) and Carrasco Polo
(which supplied two XVs).
A second international followed in '51, against a vastly more experienced Argentina
team, in the South American Championship. Again Uruguay were defeated this time 62-0. Uruguay, however did beat Chile
in this championship. Following these matches Uruguay did not have a solid international calendar, so their next international match would be five years later, against Chile.
One consequence was that Argentina's governing body could no longer call itself the River Plate
Rugby Union, as Uruguay occupied the east bank, and had to rename itself the UAR in November 1951.
in 1971, which was followed by a win and loss against Chile and a win against Brazil
. However, they were beaten by Argentina by 55 points on two occasions in the early 1970s. However, they won all their matches except for those against Argentina. This saw a huge rise in the games profile.
Carrasco Polo Club
was transformed by the coaching of Amarillo Washington, who used scientific methods to replace the earlier habits of "training hard, but then after matches going to the bar to eat and drink everything." Carrasco's leading player Diego Ormaechea
had been introduced to the sport as a fifteen year old in 1976 and was still playing for club and country more than twenty years later.
In the 1980s, the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
used the success of coaching at Stella Maris and the British School as a template for spreading the game into other schools.
The year 1989 saw the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
, officially join the International Rugby Board
(IRB) this saw increased international competition. The 1990s started off in an optimistic fashion, with three straight defeats of Chile
, Brazil
and Paraguay
. This was followed by more wins over their traditional opponents, though Uruguay still lost to South America's powerhouse Argentina
. Uruguay's biggest success was qualifying for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
in Wales
. They only won one game in the pool stages, against a weak Spanish side, Uruguay finished third in their pool, not qualifying for the knockout stages. Despite this rugby union's profile soared and is considered the third most popular sport, after football and basketball.
In 1993, Carrasco Polo Club beat a Buenos Aires
squad which included 14 Pumas.
Ormaechea, aged 40 years old, was also the oldest player ever at the Rugby World Cup
finals, in 1999, being the captain in his country first ever presence at the event. He scored a try in the 27-15 win over Spain
. (He had been introduced to rugby as a fifteen year old in 1976, and played for over two decades.) In addition, Ormaechea was older than URU president, Andres Sanguinetti.
Uruguay has been visited by at least two French tours - that of 1960
, and that of 1985
.
Although the number of clubs is relatively small, rugby enjoys great social kudos in Uruguay, with past presidents of the URU including Pedro Bordaberry
, a former cabinet minister, as well as Andres Sanguinetti, the half-brother of former national president Julio María Sanguinetti. This has ensured that the game is reasonably well funded.
One of the best known fixtures of Uruguayan rugby is the Punta del Este Sevens, which has attracted many of the world's top sides to one of South America's swankiest beach resorts.
, and the resulting books and films, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
and Alive
brought Uruguayan rugby into the global limelight.
Alive tells the story of a Uruguay
an Rugby team (who were alumni of Stella Maris College (Montevideo)
) and their friends and family who were involved in the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. It was published two years after survivors of the crash were rescued.
During the 1999 Rugby World Cup
, the national squad was reported to have been saddened by persistent press questioning about Flight 571, rather than their achievement in reaching it with such a small player base.
, more commonly known as the Los Teros (Southern Lapwing
), represent Uruguay at international level. The team is governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay and are the second highest ranked team in South America
after Argentina at 18th in the world. The team plays almost all of its home games at the 14,000-capacity Estadio Charrúa
in Montevideo, typically drawing about 11,000 for international fixtures.
Uruguay has made a name for itself as the up and coming rugby nation of the Americas. Its wins of 67-3 over Paraguay
and 14-6 over Chile
in the qualifiers for the 1995 Rugby World Cup
ensured that its place as the #2 nation in South American rugby was assured. In the same competition, they managed to hold mighty Argentina
, the most successful rugby nation of the Americas, to 10-19. This places Uruguay as #4 within the Americas a whole, despite its small population and number of players.
since 2004. (Current playing record).
is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Uruguay. Basketball
ranks second in popularity and rugby union is considered the third most popular sport. The popularity of rugby union virtually took off after the national side qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
and the subsequent 2003 World Cup
, this saw a renewed interest in the sport and broad media coverage of the game.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is considered one of the most popular sports in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. The national team
Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
, commonly known as Los Teros, have been playing international rugby since the late 1940s and have made appearances in two world cups
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
- once in 1999
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
and again in 2003
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
.
Governing body
The Unión de Rugby del UruguayUnión de Rugby del Uruguay
The Uruguayan Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay.-Foundation and affiliation:It was founded in 1951 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1989.They have been represented in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups....
is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay. The organisation was founded in 1951 and became an official affiliate of the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) in 1989. It is also a member of CONSUR.
Early history
There is some argument as to who introduced the sport to the country. The British Schools of MontevideoThe British Schools of Montevideo
The British Schools of Montevideo is a private, coeducational, non-profit school, which aims to give an intensive bilingual education, combining the Uruguayan national curriculum with an English language program.-Educational programs and governance:...
claim that they were the first to play the game in the country. However, the growth of rugby in Uruguay can be attributed largely to the schools of the Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
which introduced the game from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the early twentieth century. Their schools tended to play rugby union, whereas those of the Jesuits played soccer.
Rugby was being played in neighbouring Argentina and Brazil in the late nineteenth century, mainly by British immigrants, and there is some evidence of this within Uruguay itself. English cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
clubs were the incubators of rugby in South America, although rugby has survived much better in these countries than cricket has. It has been claimed that Montevideo Cricket Club
Montevideo Cricket Club
The Montevideo Cricket Club is a multisport club based in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay in South America. It was founded in the nineteenth century by English immigrants. Its predecessor was the Victoria Cricket Club which was founded in 1842...
(MVCC) played rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
as early as 1865, but the first certain match was between Uruguayans and British members of the MVCC in 1880. The MVCC claims to be the oldest rugby club outside Europe. One observer, apparently disdainful of the Britons mixing with the "natives", found the 1880 match to be:
- "...at the same time sublime and ridiculous... [that the] young sons of distinguished families practising the games of the Anglo-Saxon in their youth and young Englishmen of blond Albion, face to face ... and on all sides [were] people strangely dressed who ran and shouted, pushed, fell, rose and finished by joining to form now a circle, now a pyramid, now a compact mass in which one could only distinguish heads without shoulders, legs without bodies and hands without arms."
Post-War period
After the Second World War, there was something of a revival, thanks largely to Carlos E. Cat, who had played for San IsidroSan Isidro
Isidro and Ysidro are Spanish forms of the personal name Isidore. San Isidro or San Ysidro may refer to:-People:* Agot Isidro , Filipina actress...
in the 1920s.
Uruguay's rugby union international debut came in 1948, where they played a friendly match against Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, which they eventually lost 21-3.
In 1949, "rugby criollo" was introduced into the Carrasco Polo Club
Carrasco Polo Club
Carrasco Polo Club is a multisport Uruguayan club, from the Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo, best known for their rugby team.Their name references directly their polo team and the fact that Carrasco has one of Uruguay's leading equestrian centres. Its rugby union section is one of the best...
, which not unlike the MVCC, would become more renowned for rugby than the sport it was named for.
In 1950, the Club Championship
Club Championship (Uruguay)
The Club Championship , is the top level of rugby union in Uruguay.-History:Rugby was introduced to Uruguay as early as the late 19th century, but did not really take off in formal terms until the mid-20th. The spur for this was Carlos E. Cat, who helped establish the Club Championship in 1950,...
was inaugurated and continues today. Its success led to the formation of the sports new governing body, the Uruguayan Rugby Union (Unión de Rugby del Uruguay), in January 1951, with Carlos Cat as its first president. The first Club Championship was contested by Old Boys, Colonia Rugby, and multisport clubs such as Montevideo Cricket Club
Montevideo Cricket Club
The Montevideo Cricket Club is a multisport club based in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay in South America. It was founded in the nineteenth century by English immigrants. Its predecessor was the Victoria Cricket Club which was founded in 1842...
(MVCC) and Carrasco Polo
Carrasco Polo Club
Carrasco Polo Club is a multisport Uruguayan club, from the Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo, best known for their rugby team.Their name references directly their polo team and the fact that Carrasco has one of Uruguay's leading equestrian centres. Its rugby union section is one of the best...
(which supplied two XVs).
A second international followed in '51, against a vastly more experienced Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
team, in the South American Championship. Again Uruguay were defeated this time 62-0. Uruguay, however did beat Chile
Chile national rugby union team
The Chile national rugby union team is a rugby union nation representing Chile. They first played in 1935 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Chile is administered by the Federación de Rugby de Chile...
in this championship. Following these matches Uruguay did not have a solid international calendar, so their next international match would be five years later, against Chile.
One consequence was that Argentina's governing body could no longer call itself the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
Rugby Union, as Uruguay occupied the east bank, and had to rename itself the UAR in November 1951.
1970s onwards
The 1970s saw a much better period for rugby union in Uruguay in comparison to previous deacades with an increase in player numbers. The national team started off with a win over ParaguayParaguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
in 1971, which was followed by a win and loss against Chile and a win against Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. However, they were beaten by Argentina by 55 points on two occasions in the early 1970s. However, they won all their matches except for those against Argentina. This saw a huge rise in the games profile.
Carrasco Polo Club
Carrasco Polo Club
Carrasco Polo Club is a multisport Uruguayan club, from the Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo, best known for their rugby team.Their name references directly their polo team and the fact that Carrasco has one of Uruguay's leading equestrian centres. Its rugby union section is one of the best...
was transformed by the coaching of Amarillo Washington, who used scientific methods to replace the earlier habits of "training hard, but then after matches going to the bar to eat and drink everything." Carrasco's leading player Diego Ormaechea
Diego Ormaechea
Diego Ormaechea is a former Uruguayan rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a number eight. His profession is Veterinary Surgeon specialised in Racing Horses. He is one of the top veterinary surgeons in South America in his discipline.Ormaechea is considered the greatest Uruguayan...
had been introduced to the sport as a fifteen year old in 1976 and was still playing for club and country more than twenty years later.
In the 1980s, the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
The Uruguayan Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay.-Foundation and affiliation:It was founded in 1951 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1989.They have been represented in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups....
used the success of coaching at Stella Maris and the British School as a template for spreading the game into other schools.
The year 1989 saw the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
The Uruguayan Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay.-Foundation and affiliation:It was founded in 1951 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1989.They have been represented in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups....
, officially join the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) this saw increased international competition. The 1990s started off in an optimistic fashion, with three straight defeats of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. This was followed by more wins over their traditional opponents, though Uruguay still lost to South America's powerhouse Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Uruguay's biggest success was qualifying for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. They only won one game in the pool stages, against a weak Spanish side, Uruguay finished third in their pool, not qualifying for the knockout stages. Despite this rugby union's profile soared and is considered the third most popular sport, after football and basketball.
In 1993, Carrasco Polo Club beat a Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
squad which included 14 Pumas.
Ormaechea, aged 40 years old, was also the oldest player ever at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
finals, in 1999, being the captain in his country first ever presence at the event. He scored a try in the 27-15 win over Spain
Spain national rugby union team
The Spain national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Spain, representing them at rugby union. Spain have been playing rugby since the late 1920s, playing their first international against Italy in 1929. They have qualified for one Rugby World Cup, in 1999 where they were pooled with...
. (He had been introduced to rugby as a fifteen year old in 1976, and played for over two decades.) In addition, Ormaechea was older than URU president, Andres Sanguinetti.
Uruguay has been visited by at least two French tours - that of 1960
1960 France rugby union tour of Argentina
-Results:-Forwards:...
, and that of 1985
1985 France rugby union tour of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay
-Matches:-Forwards:...
.
Although the number of clubs is relatively small, rugby enjoys great social kudos in Uruguay, with past presidents of the URU including Pedro Bordaberry
Pedro Bordaberry
Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán is a Uruguayan political figure. He is the current President of the Colorado Party-Early life:Bordaberry was educated at The British Schools of Montevideo, gaining fluency in English...
, a former cabinet minister, as well as Andres Sanguinetti, the half-brother of former national president Julio María Sanguinetti. This has ensured that the game is reasonably well funded.
One of the best known fixtures of Uruguayan rugby is the Punta del Este Sevens, which has attracted many of the world's top sides to one of South America's swankiest beach resorts.
Flight 571 & "Alive"
The tragic crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known as the Andes flight disaster, and in South America as Miracle in the Andes was a chartered flight carrying 45 people, including a rugby team, their friends, family and associates that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972...
, and the resulting books and films, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors is a 1974 book by the British writer Piers Paul Read documenting the events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571.-Story:...
and Alive
Alive (1993 film)
Alive is a 1993 American movie based upon Piers Paul Read's 1974 book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, which details the story of a Uruguayan rugby team who were involved in the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972.The film was...
brought Uruguayan rugby into the global limelight.
Alive tells the story of a Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an Rugby team (who were alumni of Stella Maris College (Montevideo)
Stella Maris College (Montevideo)
The Stella Maris College of Montevideo, commonly referred as Christian Brothers College – Stella Maris or just Christian, is a private, co-educational, not-for-profit Catholic school run by the Christian Brothers of Ireland...
) and their friends and family who were involved in the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known as the Andes flight disaster, and in South America as Miracle in the Andes was a chartered flight carrying 45 people, including a rugby team, their friends, family and associates that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972...
which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. It was published two years after survivors of the crash were rescued.
During the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, the national squad was reported to have been saddened by persistent press questioning about Flight 571, rather than their achievement in reaching it with such a small player base.
National team
The Uruguay national rugby union teamUruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
, more commonly known as the Los Teros (Southern Lapwing
Southern Lapwing
The Southern Lapwing is a wader in the family Charadriiformes. It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions , the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the...
), represent Uruguay at international level. The team is governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay and are the second highest ranked team in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
after Argentina at 18th in the world. The team plays almost all of its home games at the 14,000-capacity Estadio Charrúa
Estadio Charrúa
Estadio Charrúa is a multi-use stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is currently used mostly for football and rugby union matches, and is the regular home of the Uruguay rugby team. The stadium holds about 14,000 people. It was built in 1984 and then, in 2006 was re-built thanks to a FIFA project...
in Montevideo, typically drawing about 11,000 for international fixtures.
Uruguay has made a name for itself as the up and coming rugby nation of the Americas. Its wins of 67-3 over Paraguay
Paraguay national rugby union team
The Paraguay national rugby team is the team governed by the Paraguayan Rugby Union that represents Paraguay in the international rugby competitions organized by the International Rugby Board....
and 14-6 over Chile
Chile national rugby union team
The Chile national rugby union team is a rugby union nation representing Chile. They first played in 1935 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Chile is administered by the Federación de Rugby de Chile...
in the qualifiers for the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
ensured that its place as the #2 nation in South American rugby was assured. In the same competition, they managed to hold mighty Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
, the most successful rugby nation of the Americas, to 10-19. This places Uruguay as #4 within the Americas a whole, despite its small population and number of players.
Women's rugby
Although Uruguay's women have not yet played test match rugby, they have been playing international sevens rugbyWomen's International Rugby Union Sevens
Rugby Union Sevens - a short form of the sport of rugby union - was first played in 1883, with the first internationals taking place in 1973...
since 2004. (Current playing record).
Popularity
Rugby union is a popular recreational sport in Uruguay. Football (soccer)Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Uruguay. Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
ranks second in popularity and rugby union is considered the third most popular sport. The popularity of rugby union virtually took off after the national side qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
and the subsequent 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, this saw a renewed interest in the sport and broad media coverage of the game.
See also
- Uruguay national rugby union teamUruguay national rugby union teamThe Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
- Unión de Rugby del UruguayUnión de Rugby del UruguayThe Uruguayan Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay.-Foundation and affiliation:It was founded in 1951 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1989.They have been represented in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups....
- Pedro Bordaberry#Rugby
- Sports in UruguaySports in UruguaySport in Uruguay has been part of Uruguayan culture from the early start of the nation. Winners of such important awards such as the FIFA World Cup, the French Open, and Olympic medals, Uruguay has been a constantly successful sports nation in continental and world aspects.-Soccer :Association...
Printed sources
- Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1 86200 013 3)
- Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream PublishingMainstream PublishingMainstream Publishing is a publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1978. It is associated with the Random House Group, who bought Mainstream in 2005....
, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 2007, ISBN 9781845962555) - Thau, Chris The South American Scene in Starmer-Smith, Nigel & Robertson, Ian (eds) The Whitbread Rugby World '89 (Lennard Books, 1988 ISBN 1-85291-038)
External links
- Unión de Rugby del Uruguay - Official Site
- Uruguay - Rugbydata.com
- Uruguay IRB page
- The Development of Rugby in the River Plate Region: Irish Influences by Hugh FitzGerald Ryan in "Irish Migration Studies in Latin America", Society of Irish Latin American Studies.